MC-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowships
Discover!
The Fellowships are the product of a unique collaboration between Montgomery College and the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology - the first of its kind between the Smithsonian Institution and a community college. The MC-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program is the signature program of the Paul Peck Humanities Institute at Montgomery College.
The program is interdisciplinary and open to faculty from all three campuses. The Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship program is a year-long commitment and is considered a part of your workload assignment; it is open to both full-time and part-time faculty. Fellows are awarded three ESH per semester, a total of six ESH for their work and participation. The Fellowship program has created new pathways for teaching and learning at Montgomery College since 1998. One former Fellow recently told us the program was for her “an innovative experience for both the fellows and their students! Education in its richest sense.”
Our blog chronicles Museum Seminars beginning with our 2016 cohort, as well as Fellows' accounts of trips to the museums with students beginning in 2019.
Read MC-Smithsonian Faculty Fellows Blognew window
Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship alum Professor Ali Alavi just published an SFF-infused article for Montgomery College’s Innovation Journal.
Read “Ground Up Interdisciplinaritynew window”
Erin Aust (English and Reading, GT), Tiffany Banks (Communications, GT), Heather Brown (Music, TPSS), Cassandra Carter (Sociology, GT), Theron Coleman (English and Reading, GT), Orlando Genovese-Stewart (Chemistry, RV), Kevin Gibbons (Anthropology, RV), Mike McDavit (Chemical and Biological Sciences, GT), Ron Nunn (Anthropology, TPSS), Lane Schwager (Communications, RV), and Basman Towfique-DeWald (Economics, RV)
The 2025 Theme Is Live!
Museums as Catalysts for Collaborative Change in a Complex World
Due Date: October 21, 2024 at 5 p.m.
We are excited to announce our 2025 theme, “Museums as Catalysts for Collaborative Change in a Complex World,” one which offers opportunities for all areas of study. Participating faculty will learn how to teach with objects and museums, create engaging new lessons and assignments that support core content, and plan live or virtual field trips to Smithsonian Institution museums. If selected, you will experiment with time-tested as well as novel pedagogical approaches to help Montgomery College students formulate their own questions, generate knowledge, and develop more sophisticated approaches to problem-solving.
- Our 2025 Smithsonian Faculty Fellows will have the opportunity to investigate the
ways museums facilitate meaningful conversations with lasting impact for students
across all disciplines. Working with museum curators and educators will show you how
museums are responding to widespread demands for increased diversity, accessibility,
and engagement that you can apply in your own classes by utilizing the power of virtual
spaces as well as physical. The goal? Empowering your students in ways that facilitate
intellectual engagement both within and beyond your class. Interested? Read more about our 2025 theme here (PDF,
)
Application Process
Part 1: Expression of Interest
Thinking about applying? Want to know more? Complete the brief non-binding expression of interest form by Monday, September 30, 2024. While this does not obligate you to apply, it allows us to provide additional information as you work on ideas for the application.
Expression of Interest Form
Some Ideas for How You Can Use This Year's Theme in YOUR Classroom (PDF, )
Part 2: Formal Application
This is your chance to tell us how you and your students would benefit from the Fellowship
experience!
Applications due no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024.
Some Ideas for How You Can Use This Year's Theme in YOUR Classroom (PDF, )
The Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship program is a year-long commitment and is considered a part of your workload assignment. Fellows are awarded three ESH per semester, a total of six ESH for their work.
In the spring semester, Fellows attend meetings every Thursday. These include, for example, regular business meetings at the Rockville campus, or via zoom, the Showcase presentations via zoom, and trips to Smithsonian museums and sites, including a panel discussion. These meetings run from 2-4:30 pm when campus-based and 2-5 PM on the six Thursdays we are visiting the museums.
In the summer there are no formal meetings scheduled. Fellows work independently to visit museums, collect information and refine plans for their fall course implementation.
In the fall semester, Fellows attend weekly business meetings at the Rockville campus or via Zoom, implement their Smithsonian project (lesson plan and museum visit) with their class, and develop materials to share with their cohort and colleagues. These meetings run from 2-4:30 PM. Fellows are a cohort of learners who share responsibility for developing the theme and applying it to the Smithsonian experience. During the year Fellows support one another, participate in exercises, share teaching resources and techniques and share leadership roles. Former Fellows report that the cohort learning environment offered by the Fellowship is remarkably rewarding!
All meetings take place on Thursday afternoons, and Fellows must plan their schedules (and allow time for travel) so that they are present at meetings (College or Smithsonian) which begin promptly at 2:00 pm Note ending times above. This is non-negotiable; do not accept work that will interfere with your full participation. Adjustments to virtual meetings will occur as conditions require. All meetings can be shifted to a virtual environment, if necessary, but please know the Fellowship will continue.
Work products developed over the year include, for example: development of a course syllabus that includes the Smithsonian lesson plan and museum visit; one or more newly designed assignments related to the lesson plan; staying current with assigned readings and tasks; developing discussion topics; writing a blog post based on the Fellow's museum experience with students; preparing a final written report summarizing the Fellow’s project implementation (about 500 words); and participation in a variety of assessment activities. Additionally, all Fellows deliver a presentation of their final report at the Smithsonian Faculty Fellows’ Showcase event (typically held the last two Thursdays of February via zoom). The Showcase event will be videotaped by MCTV and will later become available on youtube.com.
PPHI welcomes applications from part-time faculty, with these stipulations. Part-time faculty who apply must have taught for Montgomery College for four academic semesters before applying AND they must have taught the course into which the Fellowship will be integrated for at least two semesters.
IMPORTANT: Part-time faculty applications must also include a Letter of Recommendation from their department chair. [Such a letter is not required by full time faculty.]
We encourage all prospective applicants to reach to us for help. Professor Denise Dewhurst (Psychology, GT) is the Coordinator for the Montgomery College Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship, and Professor Matthew Decker (English, TPSS) is the Co-coordinator. They are both glad to offer guidance on writing your proposal and assembling your application package and can meet in person or via zoom; it can really help! Contact Denise or Matt early in the process but at least two-three weeks BEFORE the deadline, so they can give you pointers on refining your approach and polishing your draft.
- The proposal expresses a vision of how the Fellowship theme relates to the course
- The proposal expresses a vision of how the Smithsonian experience will be implemented in the course including identifying potential artifacts, exhibits or Smithsonian museums that support the proposal
- The proposal demonstrates a willingness to be open to an innovative pedagogical response to the Fellowship
- Applicant has demonstrated contributions and/or leadership to the College community (this can be discipline, campus or college wide)
- The proposal is articulate, coherent and persuasive
- This person is likely to contribute positively to the community of Fellows
READ and WATCH!
Here are two mores ways to learn about the Fellowship!
Our blog chronicles Museum Seminars beginning with our 2016 cohort, as well as Fellows' accounts of trips to the museums with students beginning in 2019.
Read MC-Smithsonian Faculty Fellows Blognew window
Please consider viewing one or more of the video recordings of MC-Smithsonian Faculty Fellows presenting their final projects at our annual “Showcase” events.
We started recording these with the 2010 Cohort, and there are now nearly 100 videos with a combined viewing of over 20,000 views on YouTube. Many of these are interdisciplinary in nature, so don’t limit yourself to watching only those in your discipline!
This linknew window will take you to our robust collection of Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellows’ presentations!